Vorkosigan's Game: The Vor Game \ Borders of Infinity

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 & 6

by Lois McMaster Bujold

Omnibus of The Vor Game and the novella "Borders of Infinity".

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, Space

484 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children.

Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.

Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com

A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:

http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...

A listing of her interviews is here:

http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...

An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:

http://www.dendarii.com/

Reviews

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE VOR GAME
This worked much better as a mystery than 'The Mountains Of Mourning' - which may have well been a dummy run for this book - and proves that Bujold is a master mystery writer. Filled with political intrigue and swashbuckling derring do, this proves to be much more in the realms of the later novels.

THE MOUNTAINS OF MOURNING
This novella is basically a murder mystery that works well enough but could have worked better if it had been incorporated into a full book. It also foreshadows Miles future as he works as the voice of his father.

LABYRINTH
This novella introduces one of the most interesting characters in the Vorkosigan saga, Taura - a gentically engineered human-wolf hybrid of sorts - but suffers due to its short length. A little expansion or inclusion in a larger story may have improved this tale.

THE BORDERS OF INFINITY
This wasn't my favourite of the Miles Vorkosigan stories, probably because I'd just read Labyrinth and really wanted a full-length Miles story. The plot is good enough, btu there just wasn't enough substance to keep my interest going, seeing as I knew just how short the story would be.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miles Vorkosigan by Bujold - what more needs to be said - I have this in ebook format in my Dropbox account so I can access it anywhere

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this omnibus is a hilarious trainwreck. Miles with a mullet, eh? But, who am I to judge a book by it's cover? I've read all these stories before, but the humor and twists are still just as delightful.

The Vor Game doesn't end where you'd expect it to. The first few chapters were originally published as the short story "The Weatherman", and it does feel separate from the rest of the narrative. At any rate, the novel involves mystery and a daring rescue, resolved haphazardly in a very Miles sort of way. Gregor was my favorite character in this novel. Amid all the wit and cleverness, Bujold handles his depression realistically and compassionately.

The Borders of Infinity is a conglomeration of novellas, with a kind of unnecessary story connecting them. The novellas themselves are:

"The Mountains of Mourning", a somber mystery involving infanticide and the stigma of birth defects, both close to home for Miles.

"Labyrinth", an unexpected retelling of the Greek story, this time involving human genetic experimentation.

"The Borders of Infinity", kind of a Hunger Games scenario that pokes at mob mentality and religion with plenty of opportunity for Miles to talk his way out of things.

[Austin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is quite difficult to read Bujold's work in order. However these collection books make the process quite easy!

[Xina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection. The only issue I have is the cover, which is both sacrilegious and hilarious at the same time. Miles is way too tall. And goddamnit- they spelled Raina's name wrong! But to top it all off, a mullet and a mustache? ...😂

Fyi- this is the Book Club edition including The Vor Game and the 3 short stories of Borders of Infinity. And somehow it isn't right that I can only give these 5 stars. The genius of Bujold, COME ON!!!

[Stuart Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains The Vor Game, Borders of Infinity, and The Mountains of Mourning. Miles Vorkosigan's very first assignment after graduating from the academy is as meteorological officer at Ice Station Zebra. He is sent to address his recurring problems with insubordination. He is not very successful. As the new Chief Weatherman for the camp he has never taken a single course in meteorology and nearly freezes to death. Twice.
Most of the rest of the time Miles acts as Admiral Naismith. He reattaches himself to the Dendari Free Mercenaries and saves the Barrayaran Empire. Literally. He is sent to solve a local problem as Voice of the Count, then he helps a prisoner escape from flesh traders. Then he gets sent to prison.

Personally I find Miles arrogant and annoying, but the intricate storylines are amazing. The way he talks himself out of trouble is great fun and the tactical way the plot unfolds is well worth reading. The whole episode in the prison dome in Borders of Infinity was engrossing, and even though I knew what was certainly going to happen I did not foresee how Miles' actions inside the prison pertained to the eventual result until it was happening. All of Miles' stories are entertaining, though it is somewhat hard to believe that so many women find him irresistible. Maybe that's because he's 4'9" and not described as particularly attractive, or because the picture on the front cover is of a hunchbacked guy with a really bad mullet. Maybe women find that attractive, I don't know.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

After graduating from a military academy Miles is assigned to an arctic training camp run by a a solgier who turns out to be a homicidal nut case. He doesn’t hold that job for long; and another assignment requires him to assume his previous persona as “Admiral Naismith.” When he eventually shakes loose from supervision his creative problem-solving genius allows him to him to turn disaster into success, which makes for delightful reading.

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically, I read half of this book earlier this year, see dates for the Vor Game, but this time I read the short story Labrynth, reread the borders of infinity, and read the framing story for the first time. I love the Borders of Infinity, it really captures the best of Miles.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read about 5 of the Vorkosigan books and enjoyed them. Everyone is different, even though about the same world and the same hero. Bujold is an imaginative writer; these books have an underlying theme of discrimination but also good plots full of adventure.

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by this author. It was one of the books I inherited from my Grandfather. Once I read it - I immediately sought out everything else in print at that time.